Board president Sharon Levine said a complaint is needed to begin a review and determine whether the prescribing doctor bears any responsibility.

"Complaints regarding prescription drug-related offenses can be somewhat difficult for the board to obtain," Levine told a joint legislative committee that was considering whether to reauthorize the state medical board and other boards set to expire.

"In many instances, patients who are receiving prescription drugs in a manner that is not within the standard practice are not interested in bringing a complaint to the board," Levine said.

The Medical Board of California, which licenses and oversees physicians, came under fire following a Los Angeles Times investigation published last year. The newspaper found that drugs prescribed by physicians caused or contributed to nearly half the accidental deaths involving prescription drugs in four Southern California counties between 2006 and 2011.

The newspaper also reported that during the period it reviewed, at least 30 Southern California patients died while their doctors were under investigation. The board sanctioned all but one of those 12 doctors. In most cases, doctors are allowed to continue writing prescriptions after they are sanctioned.

The Times found that a disproportionate number of the deaths were associated with just a fraction of the doctors practicing in the four counties.

In response to the investigation, board officials had asked those whose relatives died of overdoses to contact them if they believe physician misconduct was a factor in the deaths. Officials also promised to review records of the specific overdose deaths detailed in the newspaper's investigation.

During Monday's hearing, Levine commended the newspaper for raising the profile and visibility of the issue. She also said she supported a bill from state Sen. Curren Price, D-Los Angeles, that would require county coroners to report any death that is related to prescription drug use to the medical board.

Levine also said the board would like sufficient funding for an existing state system that tracks prescription drugs — the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System. Attorney General Kamala Harris has estimated that about $3.8 million is needed to upgrade it.

Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, questioned whether the complaint-driven process that Levine described is the proper process to use in trying to protect patients from unsafe prescribing.

"What about physicians who are purposely overprescribing and looking and seeking out these individuals?" Hernandez said. "Is it not the responsibility of the board to seek out those individuals, and how do you do it?"

Levine replied that the board does not have authority to use the tracking system to identify physicians who may purposely be overprescribing.

Family members whose loved ones died as a result of prescription drug overdoses urged comprehensive changes to prevent future deaths.

Among those testifying was April Rovero, whose son died in 2009 after mixing prescription drugs with alcohol. Rovero, who lives in the eastern San Francisco Bay area city of San Ramon, founded the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse after her son's death.

She recounted how her son, a student at Arizona State University, was found dead in his apartment near the campus a day before he was supposed to return home.

"The medical board in place today is failing to keep our families safe from overprescribing physicians," she told the committee. "It is not holding them accountable for the pain and suffering they're causing."